Helen's Potting Shed

Helen's Potting Shed Helen Humphreys, Botanical Casting Artist. 🌻🌿 Growing and creating in my South Derbyshire garden!

When your desk starts to get a tiny bit crowded, but looks so florally beautiful! 🌸Enjoying the slightly cooler weather ...
17/08/2026

When your desk starts to get a tiny bit crowded, but looks so florally beautiful! 🌸

Enjoying the slightly cooler weather today, which is allowing me to get a few jobs done.. like emptying the flower press (and refilling) and maybe painting again as it's been way to hot. All the botanical casts have been piling up as i've attempted to cast everything before the flowers go over. The season has been so short for many with the heat.

The rest of the garden might look like summer's well and truly over (somewhat crispy!), but the patio is still going str...
11/08/2026

The rest of the garden might look like summer's well and truly over (somewhat crispy!), but the patio is still going strong!

If you're starting to think about which flowers to sow next year that'll tolerate the heat and give long lasting colour then i'd definitely recommend dahlias, rudbeckias, zinnias, marigolds (and cosmos not pictured but it's coping well too!)

Grow your own dinner! Picking all the veggies that are ready before this heatwave sets in. Really happy with what we've ...
11/08/2026

Grow your own dinner! Picking all the veggies that are ready before this heatwave sets in. Really happy with what we've had so far this summer considering the weather challenges. 🌱🫘🍅🥒🍆🫑

A little update from mini chilli house! They're growing nicely.. now they just need to ripen! 🌶
25/07/2026

A little update from mini chilli house! They're growing nicely.. now they just need to ripen! 🌶

The poppies and cornflowers have brought a riot of colour to the garden so far this summer.From bud to flower, their won...
22/07/2026

The poppies and cornflowers have brought a riot of colour to the garden so far this summer.

From bud to flower, their wonderful forms and textures have been captured in my latest set of botanical castings! Here they are now cleaned up and sanded... all ready for finishing touches!


Don't worry.... be Hap-pea! 🫛A selection of new original bas relief castings of pea pods have been added to my Kitchen G...
20/07/2026

Don't worry.... be Hap-pea! 🫛

A selection of new original bas relief castings of pea pods have been added to my Kitchen Garden collection!

Created in my Derbyshire garden, these original castings were created by imprinting the pea pods and tendrils into natural clay and then cast in plaster of paris. They display the simple beauty of nature and capture a moment-in-time in the summer vegetable garden.

Find these castings and others in my Kitchen Garden collection on my online shop (🔗 Link in comments)

Poppy heaven! Recently completed original bas relief botanical castings of poppy flower buds picked from my garden just ...
18/07/2026

Poppy heaven! Recently completed original bas relief botanical castings of poppy flower buds picked from my garden just before they burst into flower!

Buddleias and butterflies! 🌸🦋
16/07/2026

Buddleias and butterflies! 🌸🦋

It's funny how plants and flowers can evoke memories. I grew up with bunches of dried flowers hanging from the bannister...
15/07/2026

It's funny how plants and flowers can evoke memories. I grew up with bunches of dried flowers hanging from the bannister which my parents grew in their garden and on their allotment - these included statice and helichrysums.

Ever since i've had my own garden, i've always dried lavender and poppy heads, but I hadn't ventured into growing cut flowers for drying. This year i've trialled two troughs ... one with statice and the other with helichrysums (or strawflowers as they now seem to be known!). I'm so happy with how they're getting on! I've already had my first picking of helichrysums and now statice too! Now to hang them for drying, then I can enjoy them after all the other summer flowers become just another memory.

A few from this afternoon. The dahlias are literally living their best life and the rudbeckias are starting to appear ma...
15/07/2026

A few from this afternoon. The dahlias are literally living their best life and the rudbeckias are starting to appear making up for the sunflowers finishing flowering!

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